Spending and Giving
Give a little bit
Oh, give a little bit of your love to me
So give a little bit
Oh, give a little bit of your time to me
from Supertramp “Give a Little Bit”
Photo by on Unsplash.Article by Tom Gilbert
Tis the Season! Yes, the holidays, but also the season of spending and giving.
Is there a difference between spending and giving? I’ve been considering that.
We live in a very consumer oriented society. Any exposure to media at this time of year heavily reinforces this. Buy, shop, go - go - go! It’s exhausting. And I mean just seeing the commercials, let alone actually engaging in the frenzy. Whether it is online or face to face, the spending is really cranked up a few notches during the holidays.
Spending Until Spent
Spending money is part of our economic cycle.
And we certainly have things that are necessities. I jotted down a few things we have to spend our money on and they include food, housing, utilities, clothing and healthcare.
If you are able to cover those needs, consider yourself fortunate. Lots of people find it hard to do and you can often end up making difficult choices.
Nevertheless, there are things that we spend our money on that are more in the “wants” than “needs” category. This includes vacations, entertainment and shopping for goods that we like and want.
During the holiday season there is also a focus on giving.
This can mean spending, but I don’t think it means you have to go into debt to provide gifts for friends, family and others.
Consider how your giving can include time spent helping, visiting, encouraging, and other ways that show you care. There is even a counter-point to "Black Friday" shopping. It's called Giving Tuesday.
One of the ways you can give is by sharing your talents.
And don’t try to excuse yourself by thinking you are not talented. Everyone has things they are good at.
A really nice gift might be preserving a life story.
Our life journeys are special and there are lessons and experiences to share that will be treasured by family members, especially the future generations.
I hope you take some time to give real consideration to preserving your family or work history. There are many ways to do it and while it is an investment in time and money, it can be incredibly rewarding and worthwhile.
